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Dogs Arrested by security forces in Tehran. Photo by Iranspca.com, used with permission.

Pet dogs have been arrested in Tehran, Iran again by security forces, and it's a deja vu of events in 2007 and 2011. Surreal but true. The Iranian Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals report [fa] that last week about 20 dogs in Pardisan Park were arrested as their owners walked them. They were moved to a center, let's call it jail. Owners have so far failed to have their pets released them. The video below shows the creatures disturbed behind bars. It seems “man's best friend” is an enemy to the Islamic Republic.

Iran's government considers keeping pet dogs un-Islamic, but has mostly tolerated it. It is possible that because the people most likely to keep dogs are Iran's urban and educated youth, dogs may be generating more official hostility again.